At the Singapore Zoo Splash Pool, Philip – a wet and slippery 300 kg sea lion with twinkling black eyes, – lurks dangerously close. He slowly turns his huge head so that his whiskers graze my ear and bends to peck my cheek. A picture is clicked and the moment preserved for posterity. I can die in peace now, I feel. Or, to be less dramatic, even if I’m deported back home this instant (for letting that chewing gum wrapper fall out of my pocket), my Singapore trip would still be complete.
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Getting a kiss from a sea lion is just one of the thrills Singapore offers. For those not as enthusiastic about getting smooched, there are other attractions. There are juicy satay and watermelon ice cream sticks at a roadside hawker. Cool Giordano T shirts with orchid prints at an Orchard Road sale. Minced chicken murtabak at Little India. Chilly crab and pot rice at Newton Food Centre. Or you could climb into Merlion’s gaping mouth at Sentosa. Or, get goose bumps as a Cownose Ray glides past your outstretched hand at Underwater world and a Sand Tiger Sharp flashes its ugly teeth in a fearsome smile of welcome.
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Take a cycle ride down the riverfront. Sigh over the glittering skyline from a dusk time bumboat ride. Get an aerial view from the Sentosa cable car. Gasp at the huge luxury liners with baby blue swimming pools floating down the river. Or, just take a walk down Serangoon Road to discover Little India, Singapore’s Tamil dominated locality. Do some cheap souvenir shopping at the sprawling all-night open Mustafa. Or, cocktail crisp dosas with a beer at a roadside open air eatery.
Getting a kiss from a sea lion is just one of the thrills Singapore offers. For those not as enthusiastic about getting smooched, there are other attractions. There are juicy satay and watermelon ice cream sticks at a roadside hawker. Cool Giordano T shirts with orchid prints at an Orchard Road sale. Minced chicken murtabak at Little India. Chilly crab and pot rice at Newton Food Centre. Or you could climb into Merlion’s gaping mouth at Sentosa. Or, get goose bumps as a Cownose Ray glides past your outstretched hand at Underwater world and a Sand Tiger Sharp flashes its ugly teeth in a fearsome smile of welcome.
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Take a cycle ride down the riverfront. Sigh over the glittering skyline from a dusk time bumboat ride. Get an aerial view from the Sentosa cable car. Gasp at the huge luxury liners with baby blue swimming pools floating down the river. Or, just take a walk down Serangoon Road to discover Little India, Singapore’s Tamil dominated locality. Do some cheap souvenir shopping at the sprawling all-night open Mustafa. Or, cocktail crisp dosas with a beer at a roadside open air eatery.
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Besides the littered roads that stop you from feeling homesick, there is a lot to see in Little India. Visit Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, it’s oldest temple, dating back to 1881, and peer into colourful stores with signs in Tamil, Hindi and Bengali hawking saris and gold bangles. Smell the incense wafting in from the doorways and rock to Bollywood’s latest soundtracks blaring from every other alleyway. Little India is Singapore’s backpacker district and has many hotels offering cheap lodging, with some of the seedier ones even throwing in body massages (ahem!).
Besides the littered roads that stop you from feeling homesick, there is a lot to see in Little India. Visit Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, it’s oldest temple, dating back to 1881, and peer into colourful stores with signs in Tamil, Hindi and Bengali hawking saris and gold bangles. Smell the incense wafting in from the doorways and rock to Bollywood’s latest soundtracks blaring from every other alleyway. Little India is Singapore’s backpacker district and has many hotels offering cheap lodging, with some of the seedier ones even throwing in body massages (ahem!).
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Tourists could even spend an entire day at Changi airport gazing at the water fountains and orchid garden, sampling wine at the duty free, handpicking lobsters and fish from show window aquariums in fresh food restaurants, enjoying live performances at the music bar lounges or just soaking up the sun after a dip at the rooftop swimming pool in Terminal 1.
Tourists could even spend an entire day at Changi airport gazing at the water fountains and orchid garden, sampling wine at the duty free, handpicking lobsters and fish from show window aquariums in fresh food restaurants, enjoying live performances at the music bar lounges or just soaking up the sun after a dip at the rooftop swimming pool in Terminal 1.
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There is a lot to do in Singapore besides marvelling at the fact that a country smaller in size than Delhi, with no natural beauty or attractions, plus a hot tropical climate, manages to attract 10,300,000 tourists in a year. Credit goes to the excellent MRT system, the almost zero crime statistics, and the tourism friendly attitude of the government.
There is a lot to do in Singapore besides marvelling at the fact that a country smaller in size than Delhi, with no natural beauty or attractions, plus a hot tropical climate, manages to attract 10,300,000 tourists in a year. Credit goes to the excellent MRT system, the almost zero crime statistics, and the tourism friendly attitude of the government.
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Almost all the tourist attractions in Singapore are man made. A perfect example is Sentosa Island. A short train ride from Harbour Front takes you to this island paradise where a giant Merlion, an insect park, a butterfly garden, underwater world, a dolphin lagoon and sandy beaches beckon.
Almost all the tourist attractions in Singapore are man made. A perfect example is Sentosa Island. A short train ride from Harbour Front takes you to this island paradise where a giant Merlion, an insect park, a butterfly garden, underwater world, a dolphin lagoon and sandy beaches beckon.
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But, for this writer, all roads return to Philip. By far, the best Singapore has to offer is its ‘open zoo’, a far cry from the animals-in-claustrophobic-cages concept seen back home. No wonder it is counted amongst the best in the world. Inquisitive orangutans sling their way across overhanging branches in free ranging areas even as you walk underneath, kangaroos hop past in a specially created Australian Outback, brilliantly hued macaws perch on volunteers’ shoulders and sea lions whip frothy water at giggling school kids. A Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, with a don’t-mess-with-me glare suns itself in a green enclosure while the beady-eyed Inland Taipan, the world’s deadliest snake, flicks its tongue in your direction. Otters play around in the water just touching distance away and a gigantic polar bear dives for live fish that have been released in its pool at meal time. Emus and cassowary, skunks and bearded dragons share the limelight with wallabies and reptiles roam free in gardens where you can walk if you promise not to come in their way.
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At the Night Safari, where a tram takes you right inside the jungle and excitingly close to animals, long snouted tapirs go about their business of flicking ants off the ground with James Bond-ish nonchalance, large barn owls and hawks participate enthusiastically in shows and Molly the python winds her way past the seats of squealing visitors.
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Animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from visitors by dry or wet moats. The moats are so cleverly concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision that it appears as if there is no barrier. Dangerous animals like leopards and jaguars which can climb well, are housed in beautifully landscaped glass-fronted enclosures. And so are the polar bears. You can watch them through the towering glass front, as they toss around pieces of fruit and meat frozen in ice.
**
You can feed the kangaroos, breakfast with the orangutans and even get a picture taken with a large macaw perched on your head. Of course, you need to seal it with a kiss. Naturally, from Philip, the sea lion. There I go again. Some things just come full circle.
But, for this writer, all roads return to Philip. By far, the best Singapore has to offer is its ‘open zoo’, a far cry from the animals-in-claustrophobic-cages concept seen back home. No wonder it is counted amongst the best in the world. Inquisitive orangutans sling their way across overhanging branches in free ranging areas even as you walk underneath, kangaroos hop past in a specially created Australian Outback, brilliantly hued macaws perch on volunteers’ shoulders and sea lions whip frothy water at giggling school kids. A Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, with a don’t-mess-with-me glare suns itself in a green enclosure while the beady-eyed Inland Taipan, the world’s deadliest snake, flicks its tongue in your direction. Otters play around in the water just touching distance away and a gigantic polar bear dives for live fish that have been released in its pool at meal time. Emus and cassowary, skunks and bearded dragons share the limelight with wallabies and reptiles roam free in gardens where you can walk if you promise not to come in their way.
**
At the Night Safari, where a tram takes you right inside the jungle and excitingly close to animals, long snouted tapirs go about their business of flicking ants off the ground with James Bond-ish nonchalance, large barn owls and hawks participate enthusiastically in shows and Molly the python winds her way past the seats of squealing visitors.
**
Animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from visitors by dry or wet moats. The moats are so cleverly concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision that it appears as if there is no barrier. Dangerous animals like leopards and jaguars which can climb well, are housed in beautifully landscaped glass-fronted enclosures. And so are the polar bears. You can watch them through the towering glass front, as they toss around pieces of fruit and meat frozen in ice.
**
You can feed the kangaroos, breakfast with the orangutans and even get a picture taken with a large macaw perched on your head. Of course, you need to seal it with a kiss. Naturally, from Philip, the sea lion. There I go again. Some things just come full circle.
**
Rachna Bisht-Rawat is a journalist and writer but mostly she is mom to an 11 year old and gypsy wife to an Army officer whose work takes the Rawats across the length and width of India. She blogs at http://www.rachnabisht.com/